The present invention relates to controlling the display of windows. More particularly, the present invention relates to displaying a plurality of windows in an overlapping manner.
A multi-window system such as Microsoft® Windows® operating system, a system providing an integrated development environment for programs, and the like, simultaneously display a plurality of windows on a display apparatus for the purpose of providing various information to users (Microsoft and Windows are trademarks of Microsoft in the United States, foreign countries, or both). When all windows cannot be displayed within the screen of the display apparatus, these systems divide a plurality of windows into some groups and display the plurality of windows in an overlapping manner within the respective groups.
When a plurality of windows are displayed to an overlapping manner, priorities are usually set for the windows and thus a user can perform operations only on the topmost, active window among the windows. When the user wants to perform operations on a lower window or when the user wants to check display contents of a lower window, it is necessary to make the window active by clicking part of the window, for example. As such, in conventional multi-window systems, a window enabling a user to operate or check its contents is an active window only. Thus, for example, even if display contents of a lower window are updated during the operation on the active window or in association with the operation, the user cannot visually check the updated contents if the lower window is hidden. In order to notify the user of the update in the lower window, in Windows XP operating system, for example, an icon on a task bar corresponding to the lower window is caused to blink.